My thoughts on the Phillies season.

Mets’ Manager gets pink slip in hotel room in Anaheim over night.

I was surprised to learn that the Mets’ have finally fired Willie Randolph, their manager, via the Phillies Nation blog. While I’ll be the first to admit that I did see this happening at some point this season, as the Mets have been playing really subpar baseball so far this year after all of the fuss made over them during the post season and spring training, and when players play very badly, the one who gets the pink slip is the manager not the players who are stinking up the joint (isn’t that right, Mr. Torre?), but never in a million years would I have expected someone to be given the pink slip in such a lousy manner. I’m not going to make a post about the Randolph firing when a blogger who is a Mets’ fan can say it so much better than I can. So, take it away Mr. Cerrone:

Opinion: I Feel Dirty

By Matthew Cerrone

As a Mets fan, I’m embarrassed this morning, and I feel a little dirty.

I understand why Willie Randolph was fired. In fact, due to the time I spend talking to people connected to the team, I am probably aware of why he was fired better than most people.

The problem is that, like in so many cases during this team’s history, the story today will not be about replacing Randolph with Jerry Manuel and moving forward, it will be about the way this situation was handled – and rightfully so.

On one hand, most things end badly – otherwise they wouldn’t end, especially in baseball.

I have already been sent e-mail from Yankee fans mocking the Mets, which is pretty funny coming from a team that ran Joe Torre and his four rings out of town, and is notorious for the Billy Martin Merry-go-Round.

Nevertheless, the Mets took so long to make this decision that it made them look foolish, classless and disorganized.

For instance, I’m convinced information was intentionally leaked to the media in an effort to force Omar Minaya‘s hand, which is quite disingenuous, because I still believe Minaya would have preferred to keep Randolph – all while having to spin the media night after night. There are reporters I have talked who all feel the exact same way.

What’s worse, from what I can gather, several people in the clubhouse, from players to trainers to security guards, all knew Randolph would eventually be fired on this road trip.

Lastly, yesterday, a person I know, who talks with the team’s front office on a regular basis, asked me when I feel Randolph would be fired. I was under the impression that Randolph would be fired on the off day between Los Angeles and Colorado later this week – win or lose. However, the way the question was asked, I could sense it was going to occur a lot sooner than that.

In other words, this was not a secret.

And so, the team’s ownership should stepped up and fired Randolph last week, when it is was obvious they had already reached a decision.

Instead, they dismissed their manager at midnight in a hotel room, after he had just won four of his last six games.

That said, I do not feel bad for Randolph. He will live to fight another day, he’ll get another job in an industry based on a kid’s game, and he’ll earn close to $3.5 million doing so, which is a lot better than you and I will ever be treated.

I know this is all part of the deal, in business, but especially in baseball. But, like I said, it just makes me feel a little dirty and a bit embarrassed knowing that so many people knew of this in advance, and that it occurred in the middle of the night, making it all stink of an extra level of smarminess.

I’m not totally sure why I feel this way, but I do.

I’m probably just being emotional. (H/T MetsBlog.com)

I couldn’t have put it better myself, Mr. Cerrone. Okay, to me this shows me that Mets’ Managment has no class, and following the antics of our own team’s mystery owners I know lack of class when I see it. But, really this takes the cake, people. I think it would’ve been better if they had fired Willie Randolph, pitching coach Rick Peterson and first-base coach Tom Nieto on the off day between the two series of their present road trip. I mean, good god, man, when did the Mets turn into the 1970s/1980s Yankees? Willie, I sincerely wish you and your fellow pink slippers the best of luck finding new employment, I really do. Jerry Manuel, I wish you luck trying to run the zoo. Mets’ Management, I hope this comes back and bite you all in the backside. I really do you morons.

Oh, MetsBlog.com has some more information on the firing, so, anyone who want to read them, I’d added a link to Mr. Cerrone’s blog.

Update: Oh this just gets better and better. He wasn’t given a pink slip in his hotel room. He was told he was fired by email????

Shame on the Mets for their cowardly firing of coach Willie Randolph. Yes, the Mets are underachieving and yes, someone needs to be held accountable, but to fire Randolph in an email quietly at 3:00 AM? It is a cowardly move and speaks volumes about what a disorganized mess the Mets are. (H/T A Citizen’s Blog)

Oh, beautiful. This wasn’t even a face to face firing. This was via the nets. Real class guys!!!

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2 Comments

In a hotel room, at midnight, in a strange town…it’s like a scene from a really low budget B-movie. Did they throw a bag over his head and toss him onto the street kicking and screaming as well? Geez…no class at all. How sad for baseball in general. It will be interesting to see how the players respond. Guess their next several series’ will tell. Let the games begin!

I was being a bit sarcastic about him getting the pink slip in his hotel room, but, I would not have been surprised if they had placed a bag over his head, etc., after reading about how the Mets’ Management handled this fiasco. I mean, geeze, those morons are giving George Steinbrenner a good name, and that ain’t easy. Sad it is. As for the players, I don’t know, as I rather not speculate at this time, although I’m sure a few of them won’t be sorry to see him go. I guess we will know in the next few series whether there will be a positive change or if the Mets will just completely collapse.

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